Edward J. Cleary Award

The Cleary Award is given to an individual who is an outstanding performer in the management of environmental protection enterprises conducted under either public or private auspices and has demonstrated exemplary professional conduct, personal leadership, originality in devising new environmental protection techniques, and sensitivity and responsiveness to social, economic, and political factors in environmental protection.

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2026 Edward J. Cleary Award Recipient

Robert C. Ferrante, P.E., BCEE

Robert Ferrante is the Chief Engineer and General Manager for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and has been in this position since August 2019.  The Districts are comprised of 24 special districts created to manage wastewater and solid waste at a regional scale and serve 5.6 million residents in Los Angeles County. He reports directly to the Boards of Directors of the Districts, comprised of the mayors of the 78 cities located within its service area and the Board of Supervisors for unincorporated county territory and is responsible for all Districts’ operations including a workforce of approximately 1800 employees.   

Since joining the Districts in 1993, he has held a variety of roles spanning wastewater, solid waste, air quality, and energy recovery.  Under his leadership, the Districts have advanced major infrastructure and sustainability initiatives, including biogas-to-energy, water recycling, food waste conversion, and stormwater management.   He is also guiding regional efforts such as the Clearwater Project (a major infrastructure project building a new 7-mile-long effluent discharge tunnel) and Pure Water Southern California (a proposed regional water recycling program involving utility partners in California, Nevada and Arizona).   Both these projects will be critical to long-term water reliability, environmental protection, and climate resilience in the region.

Robert has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.  He is a registered professional engineer in California and board-certified environmental engineer by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.  He serves on numerous regional and national boards including California WateReuse, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Southern California Coastal Water Research Program, Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority, Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority and the Clean Water Works Education Foundation.

Past Winners

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